No good deed goes unpunished. Clare Booth Luce, in H. Faber, The Book of Laws, 1980 US diplomat, dramatist, journalist, & politician (1903 – 1987) (Source) I’ve seen it happen often: a family member, friend, or even friend of a friend comes to you with a sob story like “my cat is sick” or “I need money…
Author Archives: Dan X. Nguyen, Esq.
A Case of the Mondays: Humor in Estate Planning
I’ve written in the past about how important it is to prepare an estate plan, especially if you have minor children. If my seriousness wasn’t enough to get you to do it, perhaps some Monday funnies would help. Humor website The Onion has it’s take on Preparing a Living Will.* *The Fine Print: please note that…
Bringing in Partners to your LLC
So you’ve had your head in the game for a couple of years and now looking to bring in another partner. One of my favorite daily websites to read is INC.com, and a reader recently wrote in asking about expanding their LLC by bringing in another partner. Be sure to consider whether you want to bring…
Are You a Broker Looking to Take an Advance Fee for Loan Modifications?
If you are a real estate broker in California handling loan modifications and looking to take an advance fee for your services, you must submit your advance fee agreement to the California Department of Real Estate and receive a No Objection Letter. If you do not have a advance fee agreement drafted, you can use…
Initial Statement of Information Due Soon for New Corporations Filed on or near January 1, 2009
If you filed for a new corporation on or about January 1, 2009, you will need to file your Statement of Information very soon if you haven’t do so already: Every domestic stock . . . . corporation shall file a Statement of Information with the California Secretary of State within 90 days after filing…
Why Pro Athletes that Go Broke and How It Ties to Creating an Estate Plan
It’s hard to imagine professional athletes, who make more in one minute than many people earn in a year, go broke; I can only think about that type of money running through my fingers, only to have it disappear like a magic act. These athletes are pitched with investments business ideas, like restaurants, record companies,…
LA Times: A Quick Guide to Loan Modification
With all the people upside down these days, you can’t turn on the TV or radio without hearing some firms handling loan modifications. Some of these companies are fly-by-night operations, so do your due diligence, especially if they take an advanced fee. The LA Times has an article about loan modifications, free government help, and how…
It Might Be Cheaper to Create an Estate Plan
My fellow SoCal attorneys over at the California Estate Planning Blog wrote about the increased filing costs in Los Angeles County. Their example considers a common situation: If you are married, own a home and have a minor child — the following could very well occur if no estate plan is in place: 1. Probate…
You Need Money? I Have Some Money For Ya’. Oh, and Some Tax Breaks.
I recently wrote about Why You Should Start Your Own Business Now, and fellow business attorney Joseph Dang has written an article in the San Diego Business Examiner about starting a business during a recession. If that isn’t enough for you, President Obama has promised to thaw the credit markets to help small businesses, including…
Picking a Business Structure
Entrepreneur.com has an article titled “The Basics of Business Structure“, where author Michael Spadaccini explains the differences between the various types of business structures and advantages and disadvantages. Professional Corporations If you a professional (e.g. doctor, lawyer, engineer, etc) and are interested in forming a corporation, you must file for a professional corporation; you cannot…